Document Type
Article
Abstract
In this article, I argue that heroism is, at its core, embodied love in action -- a morally charged, physically grounded expression of care enacted through selfless deeds, courage, and commitment to others. Rather than reducing love to sentiment or an abstract ideal, I emphasize its embodied dimensions: love as a lived, relational force that motivates people to act bravely and altruistically, often at great personal cost. Drawing on psychological research in empathy, attachment, and prosocial motivation, I show how love undergirds moral courage by activating deep emotional bonds and transforming them into action-oriented commitments that transcend fear and self-interest. This framework offers a more precise and integrated account of heroism, one that locates its source not only in character or circumstance, but in the felt imperatives of love made real through the body. When such embodied acts are witnessed, narrated, and ritually elevated, they become vessels of collective meaning -- transforming personal love into a shared moral inheritance.
DOI
10.26736/hs.2025.01.17
Recommended Citation
Allison, Scott T.
(2024)
"The Love with a Thousand Faces: Heroism as Embodied Love in Action,"
Heroism Science: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 17.
DOI: 10.26736/hs.2025.01.17
Available at:
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/heroism-science/vol9/iss1/17
